In the field of anatomic pathology, a biological sample (such as a sample of human tissue) may be inspected and analyzed by staining the biological sample with a substance that reveals the presence of material of diagnostic interest. The sample may then be viewed using a microscope.
Some available automated imaging systems obtain images of a biological sample in a microscopic field of view. These systems capture a digital representation of the sample, in color, using a scanning instrument (such as an instrument incorporating a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera), in combination with a computer-controlled microscope.
Once an image is captured, a quantitative analysis may be performed using image-processing techniques to identify various features of pathological significance. Some imaging systems allow an operator to view and mark a region of interest on an image using computer graphics tools, and to subsequently collect and store image data.